Just about the only thing in the Tri-Town on Memorial Day that is almost as equally exciting as paddling a handmade canoe down the Mattapoisett River in the Rochester Memorial Day Boat Race is watching it – even when it’s raining.
Either way, what would a boat race be without water? Like in past years with no rain and very little rain leading up to the race, all you got was a two-person relay up the dry 14-mile riverbed, running with a canoe toward the finish line. Hardly as exciting as the years when racers are paddling their heads off, giving it all they’ve got as they hit the rapids at the old Church family sawmill trying to avoid the rocks and the curvature of the riverbank. Not nearly as fun as watching them duck for cover as they carefully aim themselves through the arch of the Mattapoisett River Road Bridge, with the swelled waters of the Mattapoisett River forcing the slender long boats and their occupants close to neck-level, and the way the rainwater activates the colors of the team shirts and brings out the grain of the wooden boats.
This year, 50 teams dragged themselves out of their warm dry beds early in the morning to stack and strap their canoes to pickup trucks in the pouring rain and get themselves to Grandma Hartley’s Reservoir at Snipatuit Pond, the starting point of the competitive crossing of the Mattapoisett River.
Members of the Rochester Fire Department situated themselves along the rocky rapids at the Church family sawmill, just in case, and we all waited for the first team to make its way down and hopefully continue on around the bend where dozens of onlookers cheered them on – no matter whether racers made it without incident, hit the bank and jumped out to empty the water from the bottom of the boat, or altogether sank. Whatever happened, one couldn’t go wrong. Just attempting the race earns one respect and a rightful place in the history of the 83-year-old tradition.
And the race is as steeped in tradition as paddlers’ knees and bottoms are steeped in river water.
Take the tossing of the orange slices, for example. You can catch a quick glance of them in practically every boat along the way –strange little orange flotation devices or emergency equipment of some sort sloshing around the boat bottoms that are actually the peels of orange slices eaten along the way by paddlers needing sustenance.
Onlookers have a tradition of tossing them into the boats of the racers as they go by, and apparently only those that are actually caught are likely to be eaten before they land in the unsavory soup of river broth and wet sneakers.
Actually, says four-time overall winner William Watling III from Team 7, the tradition of tossing orange slices can sometimes be less helpful and more of a hindrance at times.
“We found we don’t need it,” said Watling with a laugh. “It actually slows us down.”
Watling and his teammate Dan Lawrence of Team 7 took first place in the open category with a time of 1:48:14 – their fourth overall win, although last year they came in second. But not this year – 2017 will be known as the year the two reclaimed the status of champion. The duo also set the current record time of 1:46:59, said Watling, four years ago.
Coming in second overall was Team 1, Jake Goyette and Ian MacGregor, with a time of 1:50:13. Third place open went to Team 9, Jay Lawrence and Andy Weigel.
Tucker Roy and Jonathan Roy of Team 46 took first place in the parent/child competition with a time of 2:07:29. In second place were Josephine and Gary Eleniefsky of Team 20 at 2:24:19, and third place for parent/child went to Team 49, Kendall and C.J. Hedges, finishing at 2:25:13.
In the women’s category, Eli and Rylan Macgregor of Team 30 took first place with a time of 2:39:32. Second place was Team 39, Gretchen Belz and Helaina Sacco, finishing with 2:45:59. In third place was Team 48, Kaitlyn Rodrigues and Amanda Cote, with a time of 2:56:46.
In the co-ed category, Samantha and Ethan Hathaway of Team 13 won first place, making it at 2:10:13. Second place in co-ed went to Team 10, Jon and Kate Hartley, finishing at 2:10:25. Third place was Team 16, Kasandra and Walter Gonet, with a time of 2:12:01.
The esteemed title of “Old Man River” went to Joel Hartley of Team 38, who along with teammate Jonathan Hartley finished at 2:45:59.
There were a few notable quotes throughout the race belted out by participants. Our three favorites were:
“I lost my shoe! Wait. That’s not my shoe!” [Kelsey Collasius from Team 35 after she and teammate Andrew Martin had to jump onto land to empty the water that was sinking their boat.]
“Piece of cake!” [William Poirier from Team 27 as he and teammate Graham Poirier paddled away from the rapids at the Church family sawmill after nearly taking a spill.]
“Aaaaarrrrrr!” [Andy Hammerman of Team 44, wearing a pirate bandana as he approached the River Road Bridge.]
By Jean Perry
